Dark Trinity
by sueKay-04
Summary: A letter from Earth forces Rodney to return home with Elizabeth to confront his deepest fears and his most tragic failures. Along the way, a tapestry of espionage and deceit unravels. But where does Rodney's shattered family fit in? McWeir
1. Chapter 1

Hey all :) I'm new to Atlantis fandom, but I've been a fan since the very beginning...After months of thinking about it, I've crossed over to Atlantis Fanfiction, so please be kind!

A/N:** Spoilers for Season Two, especially Trinity**. The Title of this storymay also change.

This story is going to focus on why Rodney is who he is. Nuff said :)

Thank you to my wonderful beta Somnium!

Yup after a year and a half, I've finally found a beta :D

Enjoy  
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"You were wrong Rodney."

Weir's harsh words hit him square on, as if he'd received a physical blow.

The familiarity of the words rang in his ears, and he found himself momentarily in a younger time.

_A young woman stared up at him from a hospital bed, tears of pain in her eyes._

"You were wrong Rodney!"

Everything went bland and faded into the background, as every part of his consciousness became flooded with dozens of bloodied images.

Agony. Hurt. Fear. Panic. Terror.

Guilt.

The guilt was buried deep, so deep it could barely be felt. Not next to the other emotions the memories churned to the surface.

"Rodney?"

Weir's soft voice brought him back to the present, and for now, the ghosts receded.

"Are you listening to me?"

"I'm hanging on every word Elizabeth." He spat back vehemently.

Weir glared at him, not amused by his flippant tone.

"This is the last straw Rodney. You've caused situations before, but none like this. The destruction you've brought about is almost incomprehensible. I have no choice but to punish you."

Rodney was silent.

"I haven't taken this decision lightly, but I'm going to have to make it clear, that if you're going to keep your senior position on this expedition, then you're going to have to be accountable, and take responsibility for your actions."

"But it wasn't…"

"Wasn't your fault. As you've said over and over…Well I'm sorry Rodney. All the evidence points to it being your fault. John's report made it clear that you made a lot of bad calls-"

"But-"

"But your actions have destroyed almost an entire solar system."

Again, Rodney was silent.

"You're relieved of your duties for a week. You're not allowed access to your lab, your office, or any of the bases research facilities. Your laptop, PDA's and notebooks will be revoked, you will have access only to one of the recreational lap tops from the store…That way, you won't be distracted, and you might actually think about what you've done."

"Elizabeth…that is unreasonable!"

"Is it? You've abused my trust in you, and also Colonel Sheppard's. You're going to have to earn that trust back."

"But I have work-"

"And I'm sure Radek can handle it…He also has orders to have you escorted directly to my office if you so much as step foot near the research labs."

Rodney pursed his mouth in vain attempt at concealing his anger.

It wasn't his fault. Wasn't his fault that he'd vaporised that Solar system. Sheppard had distracted him and the Ancient technology hadn't worked.

He wasn't wrong. He couldn't be wrong.

But Elizabeth wouldn't understand, so arguing was pointless.

Keeping eye contact with her for an inth more than what was comfortable, Rodney backed out of Weir's office, making his feelings clear.

Elizabeth flinched slightly, and Rodney felt another glare on him, This time from Sheppard, standing in the Gate room.

Rodney ignored that, and stalked his way back to his quarters.

He'd prove he was right.

Because he couldn't bear to be wrong.

Distant voices from years past shouted in his ears. He repressed them, and continued walking...


	2. Chapter 2

Heya :)

Thanks for all the reviews :D Venturing out into a new fandom never gets easier, but positive feedback's always a good thing.

This chapter is going to confuse you, and I don' t think it's going to go in the direction anyone thinks it is, but the story will become clearer in chapter three :)

* * *

Rodney entered the commissary, and immediately felt several pairs of eyes on him. There was a mix of confusion, and wariness present.

_Good news travels fast _Rodney mused.

Taking some blue Jell-O, Rodney sat down on his own and tried to relax. It seemed that everyone knew about the mission failure, and about his altercation with Elizabeth.

His heart twinged as he recalled the incident.

He didn't mean to be that hostile towards her. But then he never meant to be hostile to anyone really.

Rodney stared at the blue gloop in front of him.

Why couldn't life be as simple as Jell-O? Simple, transparent, with a funky colour, and nothing but satisfaction. The only downside being too much bad cholesterol.

The sad fact was, Rodney's life was more like the Jell-O now than it had ever been. Most people's lives had been turned on their heads over the past few years, but Rodney sadly had more normality and routine in his life now than ever before. If anyone knew the whirlwind his life had been a decade earlier…Maybe they'd understand him a bit better.

Of course, Elizabeth knew a lot about his past. She'd been part of it after all. But she still didn't seem to understand him. Not anymore at least.

Staring back down at the Jell-O, Rodney realised with dismay that his left hand had poked his Jell-O into oblivion. Strangely, this was a remnant of his past too. He'd have to talk to Carson about it.

"Something on your mind?" Elizabeth's command voice shook him from his mental monologuing.

"Nothing much." He lied.

"Life in general?"

"Something like that…Thinking about times past."

"Hmm." She smiled. "Back to those wild days of your youth?"

"Yeah."

"Well I have something to distract you with. The Daedalus has just arrived at West Pier. You've got mail."

"Who from? Jeanie? John?"

"I haven't looked." Elizabeth smiled.

"Did you get any mail?" Rodney pried, though he knew it was none of his business.

"I got a letter from my niece. She's missing me. Wants to know when I'll come visit."

"Nice."

"Yeah."

An awkward silence passed between them, though thankfully no-one else in the commissary noticed.

"Well…I uh better continue my mail call. You should get down to the Daedalus quickly. It's a pretty big load."

Rodney nodded, remembering the pandemonium that normally surrounded 'delivery day'.

* * *

"Dr McKay." Novak said nervously, extending a large brown envelope in Rodney's direction.

"Thank you." Rodney huffed, as Novak scurried away, handing a bundle of mail to another Sergeant.

Rodney looked down at the envelope, and felt his heart constrict in his chest in panic, as he recognised the sender – His solicitor.

Feeling suddenly winded, Rodney stuck a weak smile on his face and began to exit the crowded room in a panic.

"Good news?" Radek Zelenka called after him.

The question was lost as Rodney dashed away from the melee of people.

* * *

After a half hour's walk, Rodney neared his destination – the top floor of one of Atlantis' many sky scrapers. He walked out onto the vast, panoramic balcony, relishing the salty vapour in the air.

This spot was his and his alone. His secret enclave that no-one else knew about. His thinking space. Of course John, Elizabeth or one of the other wandering night owls in the city would find it eventually, but until then. This was his sanctuary.

Rodney regarded the envelope, already subconsciously knowing what the content would be. Tentatively, he opened the letter. Wincing at the header information, he realised his fears had been warranted.

_'To Dr. Rodney D. McKay, PhD_

_Letter sent on behalf of the representatives of Andrew and Alicia Locke, r__egarding custody ofRhiannon Locke'_

Rodney suppressed a cry of anguish and despair, and continued reading…

* * *

please read and review :D 


	3. Chapter 3

-1Yes I'm finally updating!

Many many many MANY apologies…I've had writers block from hell as well as life kicking me in the guts. And I think my muse ran off to join the circus a few months back. At least that's what my new muse tells me!

I also had to rethink this story after some spoilers came out, so I had to rejuggle how this was gonna go…I hope you like it though!

Thanks to nuttynat1000, szhismine, Tazmy, odt, PenandInk17, Erikstrulove, LVB and Duff for the reviews!

Don't worry…you'll find out who Rhiannon Locke is in this chapter!

Rodney rubbed his hands together nervously as he approached Elizabeth's office.

* * *

Receiving the letter from the Locke's shouldn't have shocked him so much. He'd been expecting to hear from them. But to see his worst fears realised in a legal document brought his mind into sharp focus.

After contemplating the letter's contents for the entire night, Rodney had come to a decision: He had to go back to Earth. If he had to, he'd resign in order to get to.

But he was hoping that it wouldn't come to that.

More than one person in the control room had noticed his nervousness, and as he passed the lifesigns detector, Chuck caught his attention.

"Is everything okay Rodney?"

"Yeah sure. Why?"

He didn't let Chuck answer. Instead he just kept walking.

"Elizabeth…you got a minute?" He said as he appeared at the open doorway.

"Yes?" she nodded cautiously, looking for any sign of Radek scuttling about behind him.

Rodney caught her looking.

"No I wasn't near the labs…you can relax. I just…," he trailed off. "I have to talk to you about something important."

Elizabeth nodded silently as Rodney entered her office and closed the door.

"In private." he said, with a sincerity that impressed even himself.

"Okay…what can I do for you?"

Rodney sat down, trying to pick his words carefully. Suddenly the Atlantean's choice of flooring seemed particularly interesting. He couldn't bring himself to look at Elizabeth.

"I…I uh…Got some bad news in the mail yesterday…Family stuff…I _have_ to go back to Earth with the Daedalus."

"Rodney?" Elizabeth seemed concerned, but also a little annoyed.

"Rodney if you think you can get out of your punishment by joining the Daedalus for a tour then your sorely mi-"

"I'm not Elizabeth…This is important. You know I wouldn't leave the city unless I absolutely had to. Cos you know Zelenka's smart but I still know more about this place than he does and…" he paused. "Please just trust me when I say I have to do this."

Convinced, Elizabeth slowly nodded her head. "Okay Rodney…The Prometheus leaves in a couple of hours. I'll let you pack a bag, but before I authorize this I have to know exactly what's happening. You know I wouldn't want to pry but-"

"I'm gonna lose my little girl!"

The words slipped out without him realising it, and Elizabeth's shocked and worried stare was enough to cement the issue in his heart. He looked away again, afraid that if he returned her stare that he'd start to cry.

"You have a daughter?" Elizabeth said softly.

"Yeah."

"She lives with her mother?"

A pause.

"…No."

"Then who-"

"She lives with her Aunt and Uncle…I've got the solicitor's letter with me…In case you think I'm making this all up."

Rodney knew Elizabeth well enough to know that she believed him. She simply nodded her head and took the letter from him.

Rodney stood up and turned away from Elizabeth, opting to pace the small length of Elizabeth's office. His chest contracted when he heard a gasp of shock from Elizabeth. After a moment when he was sure she'd read the entire letter, Rodney turned round to face her.

"You sure you want to go through this alone?" Elizabeth said solemnly.

"I've not really got much of a choice have I." he responded, some snark finding it's way into the conversation.

Elizabeth went silent, and Rodney watched intently as she seemed to think through some things in her mind.

"I am missing my Sister and my Niece." She smiled "…And it'd be lovely to meet your daughter."

"Elizabeth?"

"I requested leave last time the Daedalus was here. I was going to wait until next time the Daedalus was here…But I don't want you to go through this alone."

"You do realise the danger involved don't you?"

Elizabeth nodded sadly in agreement.

"I mean we're leaving him alone here in charge with only Beckett and Zelenka for backup."

Elizabeth smiled. "I'm sure if I talk to John he'll be just fine…And I'm sure Teyla will be the first to rap his knuckles if he does anything 'bad'."

Rodney chuckled at this, before his mind returned to Rhiannon.

"Elizabeth…are you really sure you wanna do this?"

"Yes…I am."

The tears threatened again.

"You have no idea how much this means to me Elizabeth."

Elizabeth blushed slightly, before she spoke again.

"You're one of my closest friends Rodney…What sort of friend would I be if I didn't help you through this?"

Rodney saw her point, and nodded softly.

"Okay…go pack a bag…I'll meet you at East pier in three hours."


	4. Interlude

Wow, she's updated!

Sorry for the long delays, but I kinda lost interest in writing for a while, and I'm still getting my 'groove' back!

Another apology for the length of this piece, but it's a sort of interlude before the real fun (and the real angsting) begins!

Thanks to: Fanwoman, Hettie, pavaneofstars, fififolle, Erikstruluv and Kyau-san for the reviews!

* * *

**Interlude**

Daedalus seemed to be crawling back to Earth, Rodney mused, as he stared out into the purple-blue depths of subspace.

They'd been en route to the Milk Way for over two weeks now, and Rodney's patience was wearing painfully thin. The only break in the monotony had been when the hyperdrive had shut down for no apparent reason. At first he'd been annoyed as Hermiod would likely deal with it, but with the Asgard recently having discovered the phenomenon known as Punk Rock, the little guy was nowhere to be seen, having abandoned his duties to research this cultural phenomenon.

Other than that, and the amusement of hearing an Asgard trying to sing, Rodney'd found himself growing increasingly snippy with other people, as well as his anxiety increasing tenfold in case he didn't get back to Earth in time.

The reasons that he didn't have custody of Rhiannon seemed simple on paper. A textbook case almost. But there was far more that had gone on unwritten and would remain unwritten, for Rhiannon's sake.

The near-silent hum of the Daedalus's propulsion system was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Who is it?"

"It's Elizabeth."

Sighing, Rodney moved from his window view and opened the door.

"Hello Elizabeth."

"Hey." She smiled back at him.

Since Elizabeth's discovery about Rhiannon, things had been different between him. Almost as if Elizabeth knew that Rhiannon's departure from his life had changed him, and not for the better.

But that ease was peppered with a new tension, one Rodney was uncomfortable with.

"What can I do you for?" He said brightly, turning to look at his rather messy quarters.

"Just thought I'd come and see how you were doing."

Rodney didn't buy it.

Elizabeth blushed slightly. "Okay I'm avoiding Hermiod. He found out I had The Clash and The Sex Pistols on my iPod and he wants me to help him with his cultural study of music."

"Ah…right."

There was a pause.

"And well…I've hardly seen you in the past week, and when you have you've been rather quiet."

"Well I tend to be talkative when I have a scientific conundrum to deal with…I'm just not that good at that when it's something…"

"…Not so scientific?" Elizabeth provided.

He paused. "…Yeah."

Elizabeth smiled knowingly. "We all have family problems that we're not sure how to deal with. To be honest I don't know what I'd do if I were in your situation."

Rodney nodded.

"You do have the strength in your case that you're not wanting custody. You're wanting visitation rights. I'd imagine arguing a case for full parental control would be harder."

"Actually it isn't. A lot of the time the courts view parents that don't want full custody as...I dunno…Not caring about their children as much, I guess. I know getting custody of Rhiannon is out of the question. If it weren't…Well then this wouldn't be a visiting rights case."

There was a pregnant pause in the air, as Elizabeth considered her next words.

"So…If you had had a chance to get custody…Would you have declined the offer to join the expedition?"

Rodney didn't need to think twice about his answer.

"In a heartbeat."

At this, Elizabeth rather surprisingly gave Rodney a big smile.

"Well if she means that much to you, I'm sure you'll get back your rights."

"What your surprised that the 'Demon Head Scientist' has a heart?"

"Not at all." Elizabeth replied, and she meant it.

* * *

Well...after several months of not writing creatively, I'm back! Yay! 

Please read and review...I don't eat chocolate anymore, so bribe me for updates with ice cream instead lol!


	5. Chapter 4

Hey there!

Sorry for the looong looong wait!

This chapter's more setup and characterisation and all that jazz...the real story and some of the big secrets will be uncovered next chapter!

Thanks to Erikstrulove, Misty-J, Somnium, Ginalynn71, Hettie, pavaneofstars and BlackRoseFaerie for the reviews!!

* * *

Elizabeth had never been to Canada. She'd been all over the world brokering various treaties. She'd taken exotic holidays in the Amazon rainforest and had studies Buddhism in the far East.

But she'd never been to Canada.

The flight had taken them right over Toronto, and it was a beautiful city. She couldn't fathom why she'd never managed to make it over the border before.

* * *

A few hours after they arrived, Rodney and Elizabeth sat on a park bench, each with a Starbucks coffee.

"I used to play here when I was a kid." Rodney stated, nodding his head towards the expanse of greenery.

"It used to be a big treat coming here. My dad was always off working somewhere. Sometimes in Florida, sometimes in Texas, sometimes in the UK...Whenever he was home for a while, we used to drive here, the whole family. I'd take a few friends along and we'd play hockey or we'd climb the trees...Jeannie used to always try and join in which was pretty cute..."

Elizabeth smiled at the wistful smirk on Rodney's face. This place held good memories for him.

"I had my first kiss in this park."

Elizabeth could only chuckle.

"Is that the girl you caught mono from?"

"Oh that's right...announce it to the whole of Toronto...No, actually...her name was Alice."

Elizabeth nodded for him to continue.

"That was it...it was a dare...never saw her again."

Elizabeth smiled and shook her head.

"What? I was eleven!"

"I had my first kiss when I was fourteen...Darren McGregor was his name."

It was Rodney's turn to smile.

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, shivering at the cold breeze coming in from the south.

"We used to take Rhiannon here too." Rodney smiled but it never reached his eyes, and a note of sadness crept into his voice. "Not too often though. I started working with the military when she was one."

"You can take her here again you know."

"I wish."

"Don't talk like that...I have a feeling you'll be very happy at the end of this case."

"She's not an ordinary little girl though, Elizabeth...There's a lot of things you don't know about me, and about my past. This won't be an ordinary custody case either...There's a lot more at stake than just my visitation rights."

Elizabeth frowned at this. What wasn't he telling her?

"Don't worry. I got you security clearance."

"Security clearance...for a custody case?" Elizabeth was confused.

"I can't tell you much more until after you meet Rhiannon."

"Well tell you what you can, because you've well and truly piqued my curiosity...and you've gotten me more than a little worried."

Rodney paused and looked to the ground. Then he scanned the horizon. There were only a few people about, and they were all out of earshot.

"My working for the Stargate programme was a step down in terms of the classified work I did. I was involved with an international body doing work far more classified than the Stargate's ever been. That's how I met Rhiannon's mother, and it's also the reason I don't have custody of Rhiannon now. We were involved in high-end stuff that would shock and inspire even people who've been involved with the SGC since it's inception, and we've got valuable intel that cannot be shared until a certain time."

"Intel about what?"

"...Let's just say it relates to several of our allies and enemies."

Elizabeth looked away, her mind racing. What could Rodney be talking about? More classified than the Stargate? It was unthinkable.

"I''ve only told you this much because I trust. And you're very lucky that some of my former colleagues trust my judgement."

Elizabeth pursed her lips and looked away from Rodney.

"So what's next?"

"Next we visit Andrew and Alicia. Andrew and I have always gotten along. He's very understanding. Alicia on the other hand still hasn't forgiven me for what happened...After that we're going to where I used to work. That's where Rhiannon will be and that's where the case will be heard."

Nothing was making sense to Elizabeth. It all seemed too strange to be happening on earth of all places.

A sharp gust of wind cut through them, and immediately the rain started pattering down like little icicles.

"It's gonna start pouring down any minute...or it might snow." Rodney sighed. "Let's go."

* * *

Intrigued? I am and I writing the thing!

Feedback very much appreciated!


	6. Chapter 5

Firstly, a little apology

I'll quite often come up with an angsty character driven story, and I'll have every intention of keeping it purely a drama story, but my muse frequently has other ideas, and my muse normally wins.

So this story is going to become a full on Sci Fi mystery. Don't worry though...it'll still have the McWeir angle and plently of angst and all the good stuff!

Thanks for all the reviews!

Beware of a MINOR (but funny) SPOILER for season three!

* * *

Pachabel's Canon in D minor was her favourite piano piece. Everytime she played it she felt safe. Her fingers danced over the ivory keys with great ease, and even though she was expected to be brilliant at everything academic, Rhiannon's aunt and uncle still seemed amazed at how she could play the piece flawlessly, but also with meaning. The reason this piece of music soothed her so still eluded to her, but every time she sat at the piano, she thought of her dad whom she'd last seen when she was four.

It hurt that he wasn't here. Auntie Alicia had told her she was better with them than her dad, but Uncle Andrew had always told her that her dad was an important man, away doing important things for the world.

They didn't need to dumb things down for her though. With an IQ of 167, she could figure it out that Aunt Alicia didn't like her dad, and that her dad was off doing classified work, obviously someplace where kids weren't allowed.

What confused her about her dad's work however, was that it was classified, yet apparently had nothing to do with the Division, where he'd apparently worked when she was born, and where her mother had also been assigned. She knew all about the Division's work, yet they wouldn't tell her where her dad was.

"Rhiannon sweetie, you okay?" Andrew's soft voice said, stopping her playing.

"Just thinking...why?"

"Your playing was a little off."

Rhiannon smiled. Unlike most other nine year olds, she could handle criticisms, but normally she was better at concealing things that bothered her.

She got that from both her parents, apparently.

"So what were you thinking about?"

"Just...stuff...Mom, Dad...all that...stuff."

"Don't worry hon, all this will be sorted out soon...I promise."

"It won't be sorted out as long as Benu and the Division's still a secret."

"You know that has to remain classified...There's no way around that...now c'mon... Aunt Alicia's gonna take you to the division. You've got that assessment to sit today."

Rhiannon huffed. She didn't feel like doing work today. Sighing, she picked up her 'school' bag and headed for the front door.

Aunt Alicia had been acting a little weird in the past few weeks, and Uncle Andrew wouldn't tell her anything. She didn't like Aunt Alicia, but she respected her enough to do what she was told.

As she got into the car and pulled on her seatbelt, she spotted a hire car pulling up outside the house.

"Who is that?" Rhiannon said as she caught a glimpse of two people walking up the garden path.

Obviously Aunt Alicia thought it was a rhetoric question, Rhiannon mused as she was ignored and the car pulled away.

* * *

Rodney tentatively chapped the door of the Locke's house and took a step back. He stole a quick look at Elizabeth before turning back to the door.

Slowly it opened, and a man in his thirties appeared.

"Meredith?"

"Hi Andrew." Rodney responded in a stilted and uneasy manner.

"I uh...we weren't expecting you so soon. The military told us it's be at least a month."

"I got here as soon as I could...This is Dr. Elizabeth Weir." he said indicated towards Elizabeth.

Unsure of what to say, Elizabeth merely nodded.

"Does she?" Andrew asked quizzically.

"Yes she has clearance. She doesn't know any details yet."

"Ah." Andrew nodded. "Well come on in."

The house was small but homely, the smell of freshly baked bread wafting through the house.

"Alicia's not here right now, but she's not going to be happy to see you."

"Tell me something I don't know." Rodney smirked sadly, cradling his coffee mug in his hands.

Things between the two men were obviously strained, though she sensed there had once been a close friendship there.

"So how's Rhiannon been? It's been a few years since I last got to speak to her."

"Yeah she's doing good. She'd been educated at the Division...too far ahead of the rest of her class so we were told to take her out of education."

Elizabeth gaged Rodney's reaction to this. He seemed a bit concerned, but not at all surprised.

"I'm sorry if I'm prying here, but how can she get a good education outwith school if she's not being taught at home?" Elizabeth enquired.

"Dr. Weir...In our opinion, Rhiannon doesn't need any education at all. She'd make the three of us look like Neanderthals in terms of intellect."

"I thought she was only nine?"

Rodney smiled. "As I said Elizabeth...she's not an ordinary little girl."

"No not in any way." Andrew chuckled.

Rodney grinned, before his eyes were drawn toan object in the next room.

"I thought Alicia hated music?" He commented looking at piano.

"Oh uhm...that's Rhiannon's...the girl's obsessed with music. She can sit at that piano for hours..." Andrew trailed off as Rodney made his way to the piano.

Rodney traced his finger along the manuscript.

"Pachabel's Canon in D minor." It was a statement, not a question.

"It's her favourite piece. She plays it every day."

"It was her mother's favourite too, and mine. I played this to Louanne when she was pregnant, and Rhiannon used to giggle when I played it her when she was a baby."

"She must remember that then." Elizabeth smiled. She'd had no idea Rodney liked music, let alone played any instruments.

"Yeah."

Rodney was grinning widely now.

"I always hoped we'd get a musician in the family."

* * *

Elizabeth felt strangely detached from reality as she sat in the back seat of their hire care. Rodney was driving and Andrew was sitting in the passenger seat. The two were wrapped up in their conversation, talking about old friends, old loves and Rhiannon.

They were heading towards this 'Division' as Andrew and Rodney had called it. Apparently it was where Rhiannon was getting educated, and also happened to be where both Andrew and Alicia worked.

"Oh do you remember that night? God it was a mess!" Rodney's sudden laugh brought her back to the present.

"Yeah! Jay was sick for a month!"

"Serves him right I say! Think someone's still got a picture of that somewhere."

The two friends chuckled, leaving Elizabeth once more in the dark.

"So what is this division?" She asked.

"Like the Canadian SGC, minus the gate but with some added bells and whistles." Rodney smiled.

Well that cleared that up. Elizabeth groaned inwardly.

The car stopped outside an innocuous looking office block with grey marble pillars and a large black door.

It didn't look too dangerous. She mused.

After some rather quick security checks and paperwork, Elizabeth followed Rodney and Andrew into an elevator.

"So...what can I expect?"

Andrew grinned. "Have you seen Men In Black?"

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "Okay..."

She felt a slight acceleration as the elevator began dropping more levels.

Rodney teased her some more. "Well more accurately...If you were to cross MIB headquarters with Torchwood, Bones and Independence Day's area 51."

"I'm sorry...Torchwood?"

"Dr Who."

"Who?"

"...Nevermind."

Elizabeth blinked. She'd obviously missed a reference somewhere.

"Well Mer, your mom _is_ from Wales!" Andrew chuckled.

"Oh har de har har." Rodney groaned.

The elevator slowed down, and the doors opened onto an corridor oddly reminiscent of those of thr SGC, only the concrete was painted white. There was a buzz of excitement in the air, and a short spectacled woman ran past. Her hair was in bunches and she wore baggy trousers and army boots.

"Oh hey Andrew! They want you on level four for that briefing on that thing." she smiled before dashing off.

"Thanks Meryl..." he sighed, waving at the back of her head.

They walked along the corridor, bumping into a few people in lab coats as the went. After rounding a corner, they encountered a large open plan promenade of laboratories, partitioned off by glass walls. People ran around looking busy and excitable, and Elizabeth had no clue what they were doing. She recognised the bounce in peoples' steps as it was identical to the one Rodney gained when he made a breakthrough.

"Still as jumpy as it was when I left." Rodney smiled.

"Mer!" Came a call from a man in a lab coat.

"Hey Jay! How you doing?"

Immediately other people began stopping what they were doing and began calling on Rodney. Every one of them called him Mer or Meredith. So much for that being a 'Jeannie-only' thing.

Rodney smiled and waved in response, calling out to a few people that he'd catch up with them later.

They left the promenade and continued down another corridor.

"So...Meredith," Elizabeth used his birth name for emphasis. "will you tell me what this place is yet?"

"The Division is a privately financed top secret research base. It operates outwith government jurisdiction, but the Prime Minister has the power to stop anything he doesn't like. We're an international body, and we liase with a lot of Universities throughout the world. Most of the people you saw back there are lecturers at Universities in the US, the UK and further afield. We were set up in the eighties. I was one of the founders, along with Louanne Locke, Rhiannon's mother.

"The genesis for the idea of the Division however, happened in 1947."

"Roswell?"

Rodney smiled, obviously happy Elizabeth was on the same trail of thoughts as him.

"The ship that crashed in Roswell was only an escape pod...We found the mother ship."

"So there was a crash, and a coverup. Was it an Asgard ship?"

"There were Asgard in the escape pod, but the mother ship belongs to a different alien race, one much closer to us in terms of physiology."

"Ancient?"

"...No."

They came to a stop outside a set of double doors. A young man with curly red hair beamed a smile at Rodney.

"Hey Mer!"

"Brian!" Rodney laughed and embraced the other man in a hug. "Thought you were at UCLA."

"Nah...I get tired of academia...this place is far more interesting...Rhiannon's just through there but usual restrictions apply. You can't see her on your own."

Rodney sighed, suddenly seeming deflated.

"Elizabeth?"

He didn't need to ask her.

"I'll come in with you Rodney."

"Thank you."

"Don't worry...Alicia's not around just now, but she'll want to know ASAP." Brian warned.

"I'll go and get her." Andrew sighed, seemingly resigned to his fate. Nodding, he headed off back the way he came.

Rodney watched him go, before inhaling slowly, psyching himself up to go through the doors.

"You going to be okay?" Elizabeth asked him quietly.

"I'll have to be."

* * *

Puzzled? I'll be updating soon, cos I think my muse is back! Yay! 


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